Graduate Mental Health Wellness Certificate in Grief and Bereavement Counseling

Help Others With a Grief Counseling Certificate

Grand Canyon University’s Graduate Certificate of Completion in Mental Health and Wellness with an Emphasis in Grief and Bereavement program supports mental health professionals in expanding their career with a specialization in grief and bereavement. Students will gain knowledge and an in-depth understanding of dying and death, loss and bereavement within the context of mental health and wellness. Students become familiar with concepts of human nature as it relates to cognitive, behavioral, interpersonal, mental, spiritual, family and social dynamics. This program introduces students to research and best practices of mental health and wellness when working with the bereaved and those affected by loss. This certificate in grief counseling does not lead to licensure.

With a focus in this area, therapists, counselors, psychologists, social workers and health professionals help individuals healthily cope with personal loss of a loved one and move on toward a positive adjustment. Equipped with a graduate certificate in mental health and wellness - grief and bereavement, professionals can serve as a highly skilled support system guiding individuals through the grieving process, from mourning and deep negative emotions to acceptance of a new reality and resilience.

Experiencing the death of a loved one is one of the most difficult human experiences to endure; adopting this specialty prepares professionals to play a significant role in the emotional recovery of another and enhances their ability to:

• Help grievers express and get in touch with feelings and thoughts.
• Work toward restoring normalcy in their lives.
• Bring memories from the past to present.
• Develop a new sense of self.
• Move forward.

As a Christian university, GCU promotes learning experiences with a faith-oriented approach. Students learn from a values-based curriculum based on a Christian worldview within a supportive environment. Thus, grief and bereavement students prepare to serve with kindness, compassion, empathy and ethical decision making.

Promote Healthy Solutions for Mental Health During Grief

Students learn about coping techniques and behavioral strategies that aid grievers in overcoming grieving complications like unresolved issues, prolonged mourning, a preoccupation with the death of a loved one and depressive symptoms.

This four-course, 16-credit online graduate certificate program emphasizes the following competencies:

• Explanation of grief recovery theories and models.
• Assessment of how worldview, culture, spirituality and religion impact the grieving process.
• Evaluation of how diverse types of loss and individual differences affect grieving.
• Development of strategies designed for those grieving at different life stages and affected by various circumstances.

Students from the certificate in grief counseling graduate program will engage with these areas of study:

• History of grief research, common and shared experiences related to death, various forms of loss and unique characteristics of grievers.
• The journey of the bereaved, biopsychosocial responses, myths, and an examination of healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms.
• Concept of death in society, research, theories and case studies on the sociocultural dimensions of dying, end-of-life issues and grief management.
• How culture, spirituality and society shape our understanding and experience of death, as well as an understanding of the factors that influence views of death.

Assist Others Recover After Tragedy and Loss With a Certificate in Grief Counseling

This grief and bereavement graduate certificate in mental health and wellness program may lead you into these occupations: therapist, counselor, psychologist and social worker, as well as community health outreach worker, community health program coordinator, community health promoter and community nutrition educator.